Bom dia, leitores! Good morning, readers! Our previous post remembered the most remarkable events that took place in the ano (year) 2018 in Brazil. Now let’s move on to the second part!

In case you missed it, here you go: 

2018 Retrospective – Part I

A prisão do ex-Presidente Lula | The arrest of former President Lula

For a period of eight years, from 2013 to 2010, our country was governed by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula. Nowadays, our former president, who was under investigation in the Car Wash Operation, is incarcerated after being sentenced to doze anos (12 years) in prison for charges of corruption and lavagem de dinheiro (money laundering). Despite being one of the most popular politicians in Brazilian history, even being featured in Times magazine as “The 100 Most Influential People in the World”, Lula was nevertheless condenado (convicted) and was unable to move forward with his candidacy and run for president in the 2018 elections, even though he was liderando as pesquisas (leading the polls). Instead, the Workers Party replaced him for Fernando Haddad, eventually derrotado (defeated) in the segundo turno (second round) by Jair Bolsonaro.

O atentado contra o candidato Jair Bolsonaro | The attack against the candidate Jair Bolsonaro

Speaking of troubled elections, one of the most surprising incidents of the year was the attack against the  conservative candidate Jair Bolsonaro, notorious for his outspoken controversial political views.. While on a campanha (rally) with his apoiadores (supporters) in the streets of Juiz de Fora, in the southeastern region of Brazil, the politician was esfaqueado (stabbed) in the abdomen. His condition was severe for the first couple of weeks, which impacted his campaign. The police prendeu (arrested) a man named Adélio Bispo who was later identified with mental issues. No evidence associating him with a political organization of the opposition was found and he was seemingly acting on his own. All partidos (parties) expressed their deep concerns for Bolsonaro’s saúde (health) and he was eventually fully recovered.

O incêndio no Museu Nacional | The National Museum fire

Another tragedy struck in September when Brazil’s oldest museum was severely damaged by fogo (fire). The edifício (building), listed as our patrimônio nacional (national heritage), had been the residence of the Portuguese royal family in colonial days. Losses were invaluable, as the chamas (flames) ate up a significant portion of a large, wide-ranging collection of natural science and anthropological objects not just from Brazil but from cultures and civilizations from all over the world. Many argue that the place was in poor, neglected conditions and badly needed a reforma (renovation), thus supporting the theory o incêndio (the fire) could have been prevented. 2019 will be dedicated to reconstruction efforts to salvage the ruins and recuperate our memory.

As denúncias contra João de Deus | The charges against João de Deus

Over the past year, the whole world saw the rise of the #MeToo movement take a stand against assédio sexual (sexual harassment) as a way to encourage women to share their experience with homens abusivos (abusive men). Whether this was a reflex of these actions or not, what matters is that Brazil’s major sexual scandal involved the exposure of the well-known medium and psychic João de Deus. His center of spiritual healing had been visited by top celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Hugo Chavez, Shirley MacLane and Bill Clinton. It all crumbled when, after allegations of abuse came pouring in and got wide media coverage. Over duzentos (200) complaints accused the alleged spiritual guide of abuse during consultations in his practice, even his own daughter. Though alegando (claiming) to be innocent, João de Deus se entregou (turned himself) in and foi preso (was arrested) on harassment charges, proving that speaking out can be an effective tool against comportamente impróprio (inappropriate behavior).

Some of these news have been covered by previous posts, check them out here: 

The stabbing of the presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro

The Museu Nacional fire

And you? What other striking moments of 2018 can you remember? Let us know in the comments section! Tenham um excelente ano! Have a great year!